Trolley-stand for electric railways



(No Model.)

J. GJHOUGH, TROLLEY STAND FOR ELEOTRIG RAILWAYS.

, Patente I lnvenE-r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. HOUGH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY-STAND FOR ELECTRIC RAl LWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,061, datedSeptember 20, 1892.

Application filed December 21, 1891. Serial No. 415,726. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN G. I-IOUGH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrolley-Stands; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of referencemarked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

My invention has particular reference to that class of trolley-stands inwhich helical springs are employed to hold the trolley and its pole inconstant contact with an overhead wire; and my object is to produce amore simple, easily adjusted, cheap, and desirable de vice than thoseheretofore in use.

To this end my invention consists in the peculiar features andcombinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of mycomplete invention, parts being broken away to disclose the interior;Fig. 2, an end elevation thereof; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail view of thehelical spring.

The reference-numeral 1 denotes the top of an ordinary car, to which mydevice is applied.

The means of attaching the seat consists of a pair of lateral branchingarms 2, connected by a cross-bar 8, in the center of which is located acircular bearing 4, provided with a central hole for the reception of atrunnion 6 on the bottom of a circular disk 5. The trunnion 6 isinternally screw-threaded and receives a set-screw 7, which secures thedisk to the seat, a washer 8 being interposed between the screw-head andthe bottom of the seat. The disk is provided with a peripheral flange 9,extending beyond its opposite sides to form chambers for the receptionof helical springs 10. A portion of this flange is cut away to allow theupper free end or terminus 14 of each spring to move back and forth inreleasing and applying the trolley to the wire. The trolley-pole 11 fitswithin a fork-socket 1.2, and under the shoulders of each fork is a pairof transverse recesses 13, facing in opposite directions to receive thefree ends 14 of the springs. The inner ends 15 of these recesses form awall,which engages the upturned end 14 of one of the springs when thepole is drawn downward, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and allows theend of the opposite spring to pass freely out of said recess during themovement. The inner ends 16 of the springs are each bent laterally orparallel to the axis of the spring and enter elongated slots 17 uponopposite sides of the axis of the springs and pole-socket. Extendingupward in a direction substantially on a line with the slots 17 are apair of tension-screws 18, which pass through internal threaded holes19, terminating at the periphery of the disk. The screws are given alength sufficient to bring their heads below the periphery of the diskand at the same time enable the screws to be operated from the outsidethereof by means of a screw-driver. The lower ends of the screws come incontact with the laterally-projecting ends 16 of the springs and forcethe ends downward when it is desired to increase their tension. Areverse movement of the screws diminishes the tension of the springs.This provision allows the springs to be adjusted very nicely in relationto each other and to give the pole, and hence the trolley, the amount oftension the exigencies of the case may demand. By having the heads sunkbelow the periphery of the disk the pole-socket is free to move back andforth. The lower ends of the forks of said socket are pivoted on an axis20, passing through the center of the disk. Embossments 21 are castintegral with the disk and form a spool or core for the spring. When thepole is drawn over to the right of a vertical position, the end wall 15of the slot 13 in the pole-socket will engage the upturned free end ofthe spring and carry it along with the socket against the tension of thespring. The opposite spring remains inactive by engaging the end 25 ofthe flange 9', and the end of the spring passes out of the open end ofthe recess in the socket. When the pole is moved from right to left, thespring which remained inactive is now brought into play, while theactive spring remains still. This alternate operation being old and wellknown to the art does not need further description. It will be seen thatthe spring which is not in action has its opposite ends in engagementwith the end of the flange and tension-screw. Among the advantages ofthis arrangement may be mentioned those of eheapness, simplicity,durability, and ease with which the tension-screws can be adjusted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trolley-stand, a pivoted disk provided with a pair of helicalsprings of like form and having their inner ends projecting into slotsin the disk, in combination with tension-regulating'screws entering theslots andin engagementwith said ends and a forked and recessedpole-socket in engagement with the outer ends of said springs, in themanner and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a pivoted disk and pole-socket, a pair of helicalsprings located on opposite sides of the disk and having their innerends adj ustabiy secured therein and their outer free ends arranged toalternately engage the pole-socket when the pole is mclined, whereby onespring remains inactive while the other is in operation, in the mannerand for the purpose substantiallyas described.

3. In a trolley-pole stand, a disk havlng helical springs upon itsopposite sides, in combination with a trolley-pole socket forked to passastride the disk and springs and adapted to alternately engage the freeends of the springs, in the manner and for the purpose substantially asdescribed.

4. In a trolley-pole stand, a disk having springs upon its oppositesides, in combination with a forked trolley-pole socket pivoted to thedisk and passing astride the springs and disk, in the manner and for thepurpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

J OllN O. IIOUGII.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH P. MESSNER, LUoIUs 0. FRAZIER.

